Jesus-Fully Human Fully Divine

I had an instructor, in my first seminary experience, who asked the class a very challenging question. What would it do to your faith if it could be proved, beyond a reasonable doubt that the Jesus of the bible did not exist? You could hear a pin drop. For a majority of the students this idea, even to think about, was beyond their ability to even conceive. Their faith and theology was so intertwined with the person of Jesus it challenged their very idea of God and faith. This did not even create a ripple in my faith. Jesus, for me, was not the Divine exception to be worshiped, but the Divine example to be followed. The old line is if Jesus did not exist we would have had to create him.

I don’t write this to mock or challenge others faith but only to show the unique way Unity and New Thought views the life and work of Jesus. I have no need or desire to challenge others faith or ways of worshiping. In fact, when I asked if I believe Jesus fully human and fully Divine, a major theological belief, I say yes. I just don’t tell them they are as well. In Unity, Jesus is not a bridge that is needed to cross the divide between humanity and God. Jesus is an example, if we follow his teaching, principles, and path that will inspire and transform our human experience.